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This session will guide the manager through the different aspects of knowing their cost and how to apply those to promote their ability to provide cost-effective services.
Read MoreAI/Machine Learning and Cloud Platforms for Water and Sewer Pipe Condition Assessments. Understanding the condition of underground water and sewer infrastructure is critical in determining maintenance strategies, repair and replacement costs…
Read MoreJulia started her motivational speaking career with a TEDx talk and she is now a sought-after speaker for corporations, universities, and conferences. Previous speaking engagements include AIG, BCBSNC, SAE International,…
Read MoreThe COVID pandemic accelerated retirement rates and caused an increase in the number of experienced snowfighters resigning, being furloughed or laid off. Some vacated positions have been eliminated or indefinitely frozen as the economy sharply declined and agencies had to cut budgets. Though the economy has rebounded, the outlook for the next year or so is still cautious. Prior to the pandemic, agencies were struggling to recruit and retain qualified and quality employees, especially roadway maintenance workers. That has been exacerbated by many job-seekers becoming more selective; road maintenance, and winter operations in particular, are regarded as low-skill, low-pay, dead-end positions. Much needs to be done to attract and hold good employees to build the ”pipeline” of future candidates. This presentation will discuss what agencies can do to recruit and retain critically needed snowplow operators.
Read MoreMobile sensors have evolved dramatically in the past few years. In this session the speaker will look at that evolution and how current sensors are being utilized by agencies. The newest sensors are giving operators and their agencies new data that has never been available before on snowplows. The new data will be discussed and how operators can use it, including how the presenters worked together to come up with a matrix to suggest treatments based on friction and pavement temperature trends.
Read MoreThe City of Raytown needed an asset management strategy for its sanitary sewer system. Raytown’s sanitary sewer system serves 30,000 residents. The system includes 165 miles of gravity sewer lines, 4,325 manholes, two miles of force main, and two equalization basins, each with six million gallon capacity. There are no combined sewers. The City engaged with NEER.ai to use a machine learning (ML) solution to identify the risk condition. NEER created and applied several ML techniques (clustering, classification, and regression) to populate missing values and score likelihood of failure (LoF), consequence of failure (CoF), and overall risk score for each sanitary sewer asset. NEER.ai produced more than 90% accuracy in predicting the LoF score for sanitary sewer assets. NEER also calculated CoF and the overall risk of the entire system. The City of Raytown saved several thousand dollars and significant staff hours by leveraging ML to implement its sewer asset management program.
Read MoreDo you hear complaining or an opportunity to engage? What does it take to change complaining into action, trust-building, and resolution? Using adaptive management principles and processes, you can reboot your workplace culture with employee ownership. This session is a case study and success story of how one government agency took the challenge and committed to improving the work experience for its operations and maintenance department. The story includes learning about adaptive management principles, including learning and listening, planning, and doing. This framework provided a process for tackling difficult conversations and issues with staff while also building trust. The journey includes employee engagement surveys and facilitated sessions, clearing up work rules, supervisor training including useful feedback training, internal and external hiring process clarity, and even a change to qualification-based pay versus a longevity-based system.
Read MoreThe COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the rate of retirements and caused an increase in the number of road and traffic maintenance employees resigning, being furloughed, or laid off. Some vacated positions have been either eliminated or indefinitely frozen as the economy sharply declined and agencies cut budgets. Though the economy has rebounded, the outlook for the next year or so is still cautious. Prior to the pandemic, agencies were struggling to recruit and retain skilled roadway and traffic maintenance workers. That has been exacerbated by many job-seekers becoming more selective as road maintenance operations are perceived as low-skill, low-pay, dead-end positions. Much needs to be done to attract and hold proficient and productive employees now and to build the ”pipeline” of future candidates. This presentation will discuss what agencies can do to improve recruitment and retention.
Read MoreIn the digital world in which we all live and work, evil lurks at every turn. Since the first ransomware in 1989, digital thieves, bad actors, and even rogue governments have sought to disrupt and extort funds from individuals and businesses alike. Governments have become targets for these attacks as so much information must be made available to the public. While billions of dollars are spent annually on software and hardware to protect networks, end-users are still the weak link in the chain. This presentation will provide a multitude of examples of how failed processes, training, or both, has cost entities hundreds to hundreds of thousands of dollars, and in some cases, even millions. The presentation is designed to assist attendees as they have hard discussions with their staff and stakeholders on the best practices for digital safety.
Read MoreAre you interested in enhancing existing business processes in your organization but not sure where to start? If the answer is yes, come learn about how the City of Austin Public Works Department designed and implemented a department-wide process improvement framework that engages staff, optimizes business processes and improves service delivery. In this framework, staff from all levels of the organization carry out process improvement projects that address key strategic areas. These projects, also known as WIGs (Wildly Important Goals), have had an immensely positive impact on the department’s morale, operations, and resources. This session will contain insights from Austin’s experience, as well as guidance on how to implement this type of framework into your own organization.
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